Electric and hybrid vehicles have become a promising alternative to vehicles that use internal combustion engines. These vehicles typically utilize an electric motor driven by rechargeable batteries, either alone or in conjunction with a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. Conventional electric vehicle systems utilize numerous re-chargeable batteries connected in series to achieve a high output operating voltage, usually in excess of 400 V. High operating voltages are used to improve operating efficiency and the charging time of electric vehicles, but require costly specialized power systems, such as high-voltage power electronics components, cables, and wires, in order to maintain proper safety precautions. In addition, such monolithic battery systems may be relatively difficult and expensive to maintain or replace. The series configuration of the batteries introduces potential limitations to the life of the battery stack, and if one of the batteries in the series configuration fails, the other batteries in the series configuration will suffer and degrade as well.
A low voltage electric vehicle power system would mitigate the costs associated with cables and wires and would allow for a modular design. Such a design would allow for the entire system to continue functioning at a lower power output if one of the modules failed. Additionally, a modular approach would allow for increased customizability as the electric vehicles range can be increased with the addition of individual modules to upgrade the power system.